Tiger’s out. He’s leaving the golf tour to become a “better husband, father and person.” The Orlando Sentinel notes that the announcement on his website used the word “infidelity” for the first time.  Sentinel column George Diaz says now Tiger needs to pick a spot—maybe Oprah or 60 Minutes—and answer some questions. 

It’s “instructive.” That’s it. I knew there was a reason we’ve devoted so much time over the past two weeks to learning what Tiger did wrong. The Wall Street Journal publishes an analysis by an expert who says the endless talk about Woods delivers a message that long-term commitments are “a thing worth having.”

Warren Buffett knows when to say “no.”  One analyst sums him up this way: “I don’t think Buffett gets enough credit for all the pitches he doesn’t swing at.” The Wall Street Journal says one reason the legendary investor was able to make great deals this year was because he turned down so many deals others might have loved.

Seattle Times reporter Dominic Gates has watched the newest Boeing airplane, the Dreamliner, come together from concept to reality. He shares the history in a fascinating package of stories. Seven years into the project, he says Boeing “judged the market dead right.”

New York Times money columnist Ron Lieber’s Saturday column focuses on store gift cards. It’s quite likely that you’ll end up leaving behind some or all of the value on a gift card.

My many years of winter driving in Alberta qualify me to comment on the need to warm up your car before driving in the winter. GM released a statement this week encouraging drivers to let their cars idle for ten minutes before driving, saying it will actually reduce overall pollutants.  But everyone has a different opinion. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel explores a few philosophies in today’s paper.

Nothing sounds better as the temperature continues to plunge than curling up with a hot beverage, which, I assume, is why the Cleveland Plain-Dealer decided to print a round up of the best variations.

If you are waiting by the door for the UPS truck, you might want to keep an eye on the bike lane. The San Jose Mercury News says the shipping giant is using bikes to help deliver their holiday load.

My wife Dawn loves the JibJab e-cards. “Pat, come take a look at this one, It’s the funniest yet!” she says. The focus of the creators was originally on political satire, but USA Today says the shift to e-cards has been the key to the company’s recent success. VIDEO: Pat’s “Wonderful Life”

Should the United States have a VAT? Instituting a a value added tax is a controversial idea to say the least. But those who support it say a consumption tax is a fair way to raise government revenue. The New York Times writes, “like universal health care, every other industrialized country in the world already has a value added tax.”

It was an advertising dream team. Now, it seems more like a nightmare. The Boston Globe says Gillette got ?razor burn? after the three star athletes (Roger Federer, Thierry Henri and Tiger Woods)  it chose to promote their product burned a little too brightly in the public eye.

I was saying yesterday that we’d hit two straight weeks of Tiger Woods on the front page of the New York Post and the New York Daily News. A shooting in Times Square almost pushed him off but then the story roared back to life - and front page dominance - when a Hollywood madam revealed she had sent a number of call girls to Tiger during the years he was married.

There’s an important story in the world of journalism on the front page of today’s New York Times.  Britain is known for having a libel law that is very much tilted in favor of the complainant. The Times says British politicians are embarrassed that they’ve become a magnet for libel lawsuits and so are seriously considering a rewrite of the 19th century law.

“Get off our barstools” says an editorial in today’s Oregonian. The paper takes issue with the heated debate on Capitol Hill this week - about college football. Expressing their outrage at deliberations over the BCS ranking system, the editors say the conversation is more suited for the local tavern than the halls of Congress.

Ever want to know what it feels like to give away $5 million? The Newark Star-Ledger says JP Morgan Chase is letting Facebook users decide whether their hefty write-off will go. Anyone with an account can vote for their favorite charity by midnight tonight. The top hundred selections will receive $250,000 and a chance at $1 million more.  (Among the groups in the running is WISE—a financial literacy group I’ve supported.)

For the most part, people want nice dogs. Dogs that they can play catch with, will romp around with children and go on long walks. Everyone, that is, except Steve Markwell. The LA Times profiles Markwell, who runs a sanctuary for “the cat-killers, face-biters and snarling, drooling wretches,” in a great article about how to tame a mean dog.

A Minnesota man swears he caught Bigfoot on tape says the Star Tribune. The man and his two sons set up a motion-activated camera on the family’s hunting land. But instead of a bear or a moose, the camera captured a shot of “a black creature about 7 feet tall” walking in the woods.

Doctors in Israel are studying whether listening to Mozart can speed up the growth of babies born prematurely. The Star Tribune says initial results from the study showed that babies who listened to Mozart expended less energy, which allowed them to grow faster.

Inspired by news that ABC bought the rights to a reality dating show featuring men on a conveyor belt, the Chicago Tribune decided to reassure the public that all hope is not lost. They put together a great list of the best TV quotes of 2009 in today?s paper. My favorite is from ?Mad Men?: “He might lose his foot.” “Just when he got it in the door.”

There’s a story in the Wall Street Journal about the success of the TV show “NCIS.” And the headline explains the whole story: “NCIS isn’t young, hip or edgy. it just has the most viewers.” The Journal says at a time when the paradigm for a successful series is changing, NCIS makes money with a tried and true method: “through foreign sales and reruns.”

The LA Times sat down with Lady Gaga for a two-hour interview covering “feminism, sexuality and fame.” Pop music critic Ann Powers writes that Gaga “views her music as a liberating force” and quotes the star saying, “When I say to you, there is nobody like me, and there never was, that is a statement I want every woman to feel and make about themselves.”

It will be a boy after all for “Good Morning America.” George Stephanopoulos will step in to fill the shoes of Diane Sawyer reports the Washington Post this morning. Howard Kurtz writes that Stephanopoulos will try and maintain his cred as a political insider while trying to fit in with GMA’s lighter tone.

The future of fine dining looks small says the Wall Street Journal. Tapas-style menus, big bars and hotel locations are trademarks of restaurants that have been the best at weathering the economic downturn. And industry insiders say the trend will likely continue.

It was only a matter of time. The Orange County Register has look at one man’s mission to educate the masses on marijuana culture via his cable access show, “Cannabis Planet.”

I have to quote the entire lead of this story from the Seattle Times - because it is priceless: “Although it may not be completely accurate to call Douglas Elliott Lloyd the Winnie the Pooh of suspected burglars, this much is clear: He got stuck in a window while breaking into a building Wednesday, and police had to pull him out before they hauled him off.”

Should the United States have a VAT? Instituting a a value added tax is a controversial idea to say the least. But those who support it say a consumption tax is a fair way to raise government revenue. The New York Times writes, “like universal health care, every other industrialized country in the world already has a value added tax.”

It was an advertising dream team. Now, it seems more like a nightmare. The Boston Globe says Gillette got ?razor burn? after the three star athletes (Roger Federer, Thierry Henri and Tiger Woods)  it chose to promote their product burned a little too brightly in the public eye.

I was saying yesterday that we’d hit two straight weeks of Tiger Woods on the front page of the New York Post and the New York Daily News. A shooting in Times Square almost pushed him off but then the story roared back to life - and front page dominance - when a Hollywood madam revealed she had sent a number of call girls to Tiger during the years he was married.

For the most part, people want nice dogs. Dogs that they can play catch with, will romp around with children and go on long walks. Everyone, that is, except Steve Markwell. The LA Times profiles Markwell, who runs a sanctuary for “the cat-killers, face-biters and snarling, drooling wretches,” in a great article about how to tame a mean dog.

Inspired by news that ABC bought the rights to a reality dating show featuring men on a conveyor belt, the Chicago Tribune decided to reassure the public that all hope is not lost. They put together a great list of the best TV quotes of 2009 in today?s paper. My favorite is from ?Mad Men?: “He might lose his foot.” “Just when he got it in the door.”

The future of fine dining looks small says the Wall Street Journal. Tapas-style menus, big bars and hotel locations are trademarks of restaurants that have been the best at weathering the economic downturn. And industry insiders say the trend will likely continue.

We all know a glass of eggnog and a few Christmas cookies means some serious calories and perhaps loosening your top button. But the Chicago Tribune has found a way to scare you away from holiday calories. They print a list of typical holiday foods - and the amount of time you’ll have to spend to work them off. So drink that glass of eggnog, and then get ready for a 3.5 mile walk.

There’s an interesting piece about Americans mixing their religions on the front page of USA Today this morning. About 65 percent of people responding to a recent survey said that Eastern philosophies and New Age thinking make up part of their belief systems.

Holy Cow! One lucky calf was born last week in Connecticut says the LA Times. Because of a special marking on his head, the calf’s owners say they’ll spare him from the slaughterhouse. Instead, they hope “his prominent cross marking will bring attention to the plight of struggling dairy farmers.” And the Times says neighborhood children have already given him a name: Moses. Bonus: Watch Video

Tattoos may be commonplace almost everywhere in America, but in the conservative offices of Washington DC they’re still taboo writes the Post.  One boss told the paper: “Your body art is certainly your business—until it interferes with mine.”

In a response to user comments, Facebook is changing its security controls reports the San Jose Mercury News this morning. The social networking site says it will now be easier to monitor who can see what on your page.

Who cares about health insurance? A new survey has found that 58 percent of teens say access to social media is an important criteria in their search for a job reports the Chicago Tribune.

What’s the worst word you can have printed on your resume? The Wall Street Journal says it begins with an ‘m’ and ends with two ‘f’s. The Journal says Bernie Madoff’s former assistant went to beauty school this summer and plans to make a new life doing hair and selling jewelry. Says the 59-year-old aspiring beautician: “I’ll never get a job in finance, and I’m one of the lucky ones.”

Postage just got cheaper to send someone a note in prison. Prisons around the country are restricting inmates’ incoming mail to postcards only. USA Today says authorities hope the measure will cut mail-opening costs and heighten security.

The Boston Globe has advice for the parents of grown children who still ask for money: just say no. Columnist Michelle Singletary writes for many young adults, parents seem like an endless source of income.

It’s a boy for the Brady bunch. The Boston Herald reports that Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen welcomed a son into their family on Tuesday. The paper prints a list of advice for the new parents including a list of what NOT to name their little one.

AT&T may start charging its most prolific wireless customers, many of them iPhone users, more for their service says the Dallas Morning News. The paper says almost 40 percent of the wireless traffic the company sees comes from three percent of its smart phone customers. AT&T says the decision is more about preserving bandwidth for the other 97 percent, than about punishing the super-users.

Apple is coming after the Internet. The Wall Street Journal reports that the company is mulling over plans to make their iTunes store web-based, which would let users download and stream their music from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Don’t mess with a “Wicked” witch. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer says an understudy in a touring Broadway production of “Wicked” finished her solo despite a “drunken, obscenity-filled brawl” that broke out in the audience.

Who says the sport of squash doesn’t have its own hooligans? The Boston Globe says Dartmouth students spent 90 minutes of a recent match with rival Harvard spouting “obscenity-laced insults that some witnesses described as misogynistic, homophobic, and anti-Semitic.”  The incident has prompted a public apology from the school’s president.

The latest turn in the Tiger tale is a transcript of text messages.  US Weekly published the exchanges, which were picked up by the New York Post.  The reports identified the two parties as Tiger Woods and Jaimee Grubbs.  “I will wear you out,” he promised. The New York Daily News prints a series of texts between Woods and Rachel Uchitel, the first woman fingered as his possible mistress.

More US airports are introducing nap rooms. The rooms are common in Asian and European airports reports USA Today, but have been slow to catch on in this country. Atlanta is one of the first American cities to introduce travelers to them, at about $30 a pop.

It was just a cargo container and now it’s a room with a view. The Oregonian profiles one man’s quest to create living spaces out of metal containers. Next up are plans to outfit a container with plumbing for a kitchen and a bathroom.

Here is a distillation of why it’s dangerous to have two football teams in one state: A Steelers fan was told by the borough she lives in to take down the banner proclaiming “You’re in Steelers Country” from the front of her house. The woman, who lives in Eagles’ country, has the ACLU on her side and plans to file a “federal free-speech claim” if she doesn’t receive an apology says the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Santas have shorter lists to check this season says the Houston Chronicle. That’s because kids are rolling back their requests due to the recession. The paper talked to one mall Santa who says kids are asking for jobs for their parents and homes to live in instead of toys.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy take to the opinion page of the Wall Street Journal this morning to stump for a global solution to the problem of financial regulation. They highlight the European Union’s role in dealing with last year’s global financial crisis and, among other things, call for stricter regulation of the financial sector.

The entire Laker team received a most valuable designation yesterday. The LA Times says Forbes has rated their hometown team as the most valuable franchise in the NBA, after years of coming in second to the New York Knicks.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has escaped impeachment reports the State. Sanford will likely stay in office until his term expires in January 2011. A special session of the South Carolina House issued an official rebuke of Sanford’s dalliances this summer and verbally punished him for “bringing ‘ridicule, dishonor, disgrace and shame’ on the state, its citizens and the governor’s office.”

Postage just got cheaper to send someone a note in prison. Prisons around the country are restricting inmates’ incoming mail to postcards only. USA Today says authorities hope the measure will cut mail-opening costs and heighten security.

It’s a boy for the Brady bunch. The Boston Herald reports that Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen welcomed a son into their family on Tuesday. The paper prints a list of advice for the new parents including a list of what NOT to name their little one.

The latest turn in the Tiger tale is a transcript of text messages.  US Weekly published the exchanges, which were picked up by the New York Post.  The reports identified the two parties as Tiger Woods and Jaimee Grubbs.  “I will wear you out,” he promised. The New York Daily News prints a series of texts between Woods and Rachel Uchitel, the first woman fingered as his possible mistress.

Forget about texting while driving. The New York Daily News says there is a new product that encourages you to text while pushing stroller. The Daily News took the $30 Texthook out on the street where it was generally panned as a safety hazard by passers-by.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution profiles a woman in today’s paper that it says may have more political influence than Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin. Marie Wilson leads boot camps for women who want to run for public office. The non-profit has trained over 9000 women about the dos and don’ts of running a political campaign.

We all know men are from Mars and women, Venus. But according to a new study, we might sleep on different planets as well. The Chicago Tribune says a group of British scientists have pinpointed what sounds wake us up from a deep sleep and the lists completely differ by gender.

Surf’s up in Hawaii - way up. I was struck by this picture of surfers enjoying 50 foot waves. The Honolulu Advertiser writes that the waves might be big enough for the Eddie Aikau big wave surf contest at Waimea Bay. The contest “is held only when there are surfable waves with 40-foot faces (or about 20-foot waves measured Hawaiian-style, from the back of the wave)” and was last held in 2004.

With 2010 right around the corner, the Dallas Morning News says this decade is shaping up to be the warmest on record. And 2009 is on track to become one of the five hottest years ever.

I’m sure it was a different kind of lady than she was used to meeting. The New York Post has some great photos from yesterday when Lady Gaga performed for and met the Queen. The Post says Gaga wanted to perform the same act she did at the VMAs but resisted: “I have had to tone down my act generally. But all of that doesn’t matter because I’m a massive fan of the Queen.”

He’s not in the “winter of his life” yet, but Sting knows he’s no spring chicken. USA Today has an interview with the musician ahead of the only US concert he will give of music from his new album, which features seasonal songs and carols.

He wasn’t speeding. In fact, he was sleeping. But that didn’t stop Pennsylvania police from arresting a 22-year-old Amish man for driving his horse-drawn carriage drunk. The York Daily Record says it was the man’s horse who gave him away: it was weaving along the highway’s center line when police arrived.

The New York Times weighs in on the Tiger Woods drama in its usual sideways fashion with a story about how text messages are like “digital lipstick on the collar.” The Times says divorce lawyers have seen an increase in text messages used as evidence in court to prove that their partner has cheated.

“Hurry up. My mom just collapsed,” says the frantic woman on the 911 call. The caller is Tiger Woods’ wife Elin, although fire-rescue officials in Florida won’t officially identify her. LISTEN to the 911 call and read about it in the Orlando Sentinel.

From Tiger Woods and his text messages to Erin Andrews through her peephole, there has been one constant across the wide world of sports this year writes Bill Plaschke of the LA Times: sleaze. Plaschke points a finger at the all-access nature of sports in his column, writing “we are no longer satisfied with the dirt on the uniform, we thirst for the dirt in the bedroom.”

Note to fugitives: Don’t get a job working for the government. The Newark Star-Ledger says the nationwide hunt for a woman wanted for insurance fraud came to an end earlier this week when she was found -  working for Homeland Security.

The Washington Post says the TSA confirmed yesterday that agency secrets were leaked this spring when it inadvertently published classified information on its website. Included were “pictures of credentials used by members of Congress, CIA employees and federal air marshals.”

He’s the CEO behind Ryanair’s “mad” cost-cutting ideas. Like pay toilets on planes to give people an incentive to wait until they land and use the toilet in the terminal. Michael O’Leary talks to the Wall Street Journal about what’s next.

Christmas bonuses may not be the only thing missing this year. The Indianapolis Star says companies around the country are trimming back on holiday parties.  30 percent of companies say they plan to spend less on parties this year than they did last year.

If you’ve noticed some extra love in your love handles recently, the economy may be to blame says the Chicago Tribune. According to a new study, Americans are dealing with the downturn by eating more processed foods, which tend to be cheaper but also higher in calories. The result: recession fat.

Google is experimenting with a news-by-topic service aimed at creating a more cooperative relationship with newspapers. The New York Times and the Washington Post have signed on as the initial partners for the service and if it’s successful, the platform will be made available to all newspaper publishers.

Sure, architects can make a building out of brick and mortar. But the real question is can they make one out of cookies and icing? The Chicago Tribune asked a group of architects to re-imagine the classic gingerbread house in three different styles: Colonial New England, International Style of the mid-20th century, and one house featuring “cutting-edge ‘green’ architecture.”

It’s like Ouija but without someone secretly pushing the indicator. The Wall Street Journal says the best and most coveted board game of the season “purports to allow you to move objects with your mind through the technology in an electroencephalogram, or EEG, a test that tracks the electrical activity of the brain.

How long do you think it would take you to read 700 pages? Sixty years? The guilty conscience of a person who walked out of an Ohio library 60 years ago carrying a 707-page book about Napoleon recently prompted an anonymous confession and the return of the long overdue book, which went missing in 1949, says the Toledo Blade. BONUS: Read the Letter

We all know men are from Mars and women, Venus. But according to a new study, we might sleep on different planets as well. The Chicago Tribune says a group of British scientists have pinpointed what sounds wake us up from a deep sleep and the lists completely differ by gender.

The Washington Post leads this morning with last night’s announcement by Democratic Senators that they have a health care compromise. The public option is once again on the chopping block as both sides of the aisle try to find a deal they can agree upon.

Surf’s up in Hawaii - way up. I was struck by this picture of surfers enjoying 50 foot waves. The Honolulu Advertiser writes that the waves might be big enough for the Eddie Aikau big wave surf contest at Waimea Bay. The contest “is held only when there are surfable waves with 40-foot faces (or about 20-foot waves measured Hawaiian-style, from the back of the wave)” and was last held in 2004.

I’m sure it was a different kind of lady than she was used to meeting. The New York Post has some great photos from yesterday when Lady Gaga performed for and met the Queen. The Post says Gaga wanted to perform the same act she did at the VMAs but resisted: “I have had to tone down my act generally. But all of that doesn’t matter because I’m a massive fan of the Queen.”

“Hurry up. My mom just collapsed,” says the frantic woman on the 911 call. The caller is Tiger Woods’ wife Elin, although fire-rescue officials in Florida won’t officially identify her. LISTEN to the 911 call and read about it in the Orlando Sentinel.

He’s the CEO behind Ryanair’s “mad” cost-cutting ideas. Like pay toilets on planes to give people an incentive to wait until they land and use the toilet in the terminal. Michael O’Leary talks to the Wall Street Journal about what’s next.

So much for all that fuss. The Washington Post says the H1N1 flu “pandemic” is turning out to be one of the mildest on record. But some health experts are wary about the news, fearing that it will make people lax about getting vaccinated.

Your uncanny ability to land an aisle seat may be on its last legs. The New York Times says airlines are getting more aggressive about selling the best seats on the plane -  like exit rows - for more.

Call them “intergalactic entrepreneurs” says the LA Times. Richard Branson and Burt Rutan took a large step towards commercial space travel yesterday when they unveiled their VSS Enterprise in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

The skiing culture is a-changing says the Denver Post. As baby boomers near the age where they will hang up their skis for good, resorts are looking for new ways to attract Generation Y skiers and snowboarders.

This seems a little too sci-fi to be real: The LA Times says Moscow is considering a cloud-seeding program that would push winter’s heavy storms to surrounding towns and cut the city’s snow removal costs.

Did you know that anti-freeze is lethal to animals? Or that outdoor cats like to curl up near a car engine when it is cold outside? The Oregonian has some good advice for pet owners on how to help pets cope with winter weather in this morning’s paper.

Zhu zhu pets are what Beanie Babies were to the 1990s - a fad. The Chicago Tribune has an interesting article in this morning’s paper about the difference between a fad and a trend. Think of a trend as something with “social, economic and other elements” that make its popularity possible to predict. A fad is “something that leaves as quickly as it arrives.”

He thought he’d get some laughs. Instead he got a call from the police. A Texas man upset his neighbors after decorating his lawn with a statue of Michelangelo’s David dressed in a Santa hat - and only a Santa hat. The Dallas Morning News says parents called the police after having to explain to their children why Santa was naked.

It’s the advent of the kid’s sized book. The new trend in publishing is to repurpose best-sellers as condensed versions for children or teens says USA Today. Glenn Beck’s “The Christmas Sweater” was just cropped down from its original 284 pages to a 40-page version with pictures.

Whether it’s necessary or not, they’re making a movie with Fred reports the New York Times this morning. He’s the character created by 16-year-old Lucas Cruikshank, who cranks up his voice into chipmunk mode and makes funny YouTube videos. “Fred: The Movie” started filming in November.

If you’re looking for a place to study philosophy, physics and hieroglyphics, look no further says the LA Times. The creators behind ABC’s “Lost” have created a place for fans to study the theories and philosophies behind the hit series: Lost University. The online school is staffed by real professors from CalTech and UCLA and provides each student with “reading lists, handouts, final exams and homework.”

It’s actually not a new show, but the reviews for the second season of “Better Off Ted” treat ABC’s sleeper hit as though it came out of no where. The Houston Chronicle writes that “last year’s best new comedy is back on the air” and says ABC made a smart move renewing the office comedy despite its low ratings.

Never get stuck with the clinger again. The New York Daily News promises a way to get out of talking to a “co-worker, relative or distant acquaintance who latches on upon arrival and won’t let go” in its holiday party survival guide. If politeness fails you, try telling the person you’re going to go mingle.

What does Eminem have in common with the Beatles? They can sell some serious albums. USA Today reports that Eminem sold a record 32.2 million albums over the past ten years, making him the top-selling artist of the decade. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the Beatles were responsible for the decade’s best-selling album.

Did you know that they’re not allowed to make Stilton cheese in Stilton, England? And the Wall Street Journal says an EU law aimed at protecting local foods is to blame.

Millions of Americans are drinking dirty tap water every day says the New York Times. Almost one-fifth of the country’s water treatment facilities have violated safety provisions laid out in the Safe Drinking Water Act.

A new study has found that not only are antidepressants successful in alleviating the symptoms of depression, they can “cause profound personality changes” in patients reports the LA Times. Scientists say the findings are groundbreaking because they previously thought an adult’s personality was almost impossible to change.

David Letterman must love Tiger Woods. Just weeks after his own sex scandal, the TV host was cracking jokes at Woods’ expense says the Orlando Sentinel. VIDEO

The Times has a great story about a real New York character in today’s paper. His name Jesus Leonardo and he’s known as a stooper. That means a person who picks up the winning tickets discarded by others at horse betting venues. Leonardo estimates he brings in about $45,000 a year.

Some workers at an Iowa K-Mart are rethinking the merits of canned food after finding $10,000 in a red tin can reports the Des Moines Register. The can was turned over to the store’s customers service department and sat unnoticed until a curious employee looked inside. The store is now trying to find its owner.

Rupert Murdoch takes to the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal this morning to give his opinions about the state of the news business. For all those who worry that journalism is dying, Murdoch makes assurances that it’s not.

Call them “intergalactic entrepreneurs” says the LA Times. Richard Branson and Burt Rutan took a large step towards commercial space travel yesterday when they unveiled their VSS Enterprise in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

He thought he’d get some laughs. Instead he got a call from the police. A Texas man upset his neighbors after decorating his lawn with a statue of Michelangelo’s David dressed in a Santa hat - and only a Santa hat. The Dallas Morning News says parents called the police after having to explain to their children why Santa was naked.

It’s the advent of the kid’s sized book. The new trend in publishing is to repurpose best-sellers as condensed versions for children or teens says USA Today. Glenn Beck’s “The Christmas Sweater” was just cropped down from its original 284 pages to a 40-page version with pictures.

What does Eminem have in common with the Beatles? They can sell some serious albums. USA Today reports that Eminem sold a record 32.2 million albums over the past ten years, making him the top-selling artist of the decade. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the Beatles were responsible for the decade’s best-selling album.

Millions of Americans are drinking dirty tap water every day says the New York Times. Almost one-fifth of the country’s water treatment facilities have violated safety provisions laid out in the Safe Drinking Water Act.

What was Tiger Woods thinking? That’s easy, says Michael Daly of the New York Daily News. He thought he was back in high school. Daly writes that Woods shattered the idea of “Mommy and Daddy as a fairy tale” so that he could get the girls he didn’t get in high school.

Cubicles are the latest casualty of the recession reports the Wall Street Journal this morning. Interior decorators say the work spaces they are designing now are 50 percent smaller than they used to be.

Is Google your best friend or your worst enemy? The San Francisco Chronicle says that people are starting to question whether the company has left its “Don’t Be Evil” motto in the past as it expands rapidly.

In an attempt to recast the ubiquitous “made in China” label in a better light, the country has hired a Manhattan PR firm says the LA Times. And a new series of ads running on CNN attempts to drive home the idea that Chinese-made products are just a hodgepodge of parts from Europe and America.

The Salahis weren’t the first gatecrashers at the White House. A 2003 report obtained by the Washington Post details at least 91 similar instances since the Carter Administration.

There are dozens of stories, columns and editorials looking ahead to the Copenhagen climate meetings, which are underway today. Some of the highlights include a New York Times story about a “revival of skepticism” and a special section in the Wall Street Journal.

Does it matter whether Bach or Journey is playing during your surgery? It may, says one surgeon examining the role music plays in the operating room. The Boston Globe reports that the doctor, who is also an accomplished musician, is studying whether music might be used as a medical treatment in its own right.

A new study has found that parents are increasingly trying to “cure” their autistic children with alternative therapies and that these untested therapies may be causing kids harm. The LA Times reports that despite the disease’s growing prominence, autism is a “disorder most doctors and scientists say they cannot yet explain or cure.”

Not everyone can be Demi and Bruce. The Orange County Register has an interesting article about a website that helps divorced parents communicate without bringing their children in the middle. It time stamps communications to minimize disputes and provides access to counselors and judges.

OMG! No need to leave cookies and milk for Santa this year - you can just send him a text writes the Boston Globe. Amid the confusion about whether the postal service will or will not forward letters to the North Pole, AT&T has stepped up to offer free text messages to Santa until Christmas eve.

Experts say it is human nature to overindulge while shopping. But is there a way to avoid the “mental booby traps” that retailers set up to lure you? The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has some good advice today on how to stay on task while doing your holiday shopping.

The New York Times has an interesting article on the history of the cell phone on its front page this morning. Despite decades of evidence that talking while driving is dangerous, the Times reports that cell phones have been specifically marketed as car phones for years.

He may have remembered his mask, but he forgot something to mask his breath. Police in Michigan are looking for a man who has robbed several banks in the state. And they say they have a clue to go by: his bad breath.  The Detroit Free-Press reports that bank tellers “remember this individual as having very offensive breath and real yellow teeth.”

A flash of his badge is all one Texas police officer needs to “scare the devil out” of criminals. Why? Because of his badge number: 666. The Houston Chronicle has a good story about other officers who have worn the nefarious number.

Attention robots: you may want to secure good legal counsel if you can find it. The San Francisco Chronicle says “the coming generation of robots will be cleaning houses, doing security work and helping in nursing homes” and that as their interactions with humans increase, so will their need for good legal representation.

Vinnie may actually become a movie star. The boys of “Entourage” are looking to the ladies of “Sex and the City” for guidance says the New York Post. The series will likely become a movie after its run on HBO is complete.

I had this happen a year ago when I was trying to spread the word about the launch of PatsPapers.com. Is there such a thing as being too social? The Kansas City Star says overly enthusiastic Facebook users are blocked by the site “from posting or sending messages for an indeterminate amount of time.”

Sample sales are still competitive, but no longer are they a “blood sport” says the New York Times. That’s because instead of standing in line for hours in the cold waiting for deals on designer clothes,  customers can shop and wait online.

An apple might just be the perfect gift. School districts across the country are telling students (and their parents) to avoid pricey gifts for teachers this season. The Boston Globe says capping gifts at $50 can help everyone avoid uncomfortable ethical situations.

A weekend full of headlines later, not much has changed in the Tiger Woods story. It’s only a matter of whether you can keep track of how many women have now been linked to the golfer. The New York Post says there are as many as “Nine Birdies.”